Friday, February 22, 2013

Spotlight On...Jennifer Harder

Why theater?: My colleagues and I do theater because we enjoy playing with the audience and the space. And the props. And each other. We enjoy the immediate laughs and screams and squirms.

Tell us about Bathtub Jen and the Henchmen: A steampunk collaboration of prohibitionistic proportions, this show sneaks you into a world of slapstick, stand-up, and vaudeville with Jersey's finest speakeasy entrepreneur and her curmudgeonly ex-con husband as they embark on poorly judged money-making schemes, erotic escapades gone awry, run-ins with a keystone cop, and vignettes that include accordion, ukulele, clarinet, spoons, and trumpet.

What inspired you to create Bathtub Jen and the Henchmen?: I wanted to start working in the nightlife scene and needed a persona to host shows with. I thought of the most fun I'd ever had onstage and it was a monologue from Chris Van Strander from his play Breuckelen of a character named Bathtub Gin. I spoke with Chris and he gave me his blessings to take the character and give her new life as Bathtub Jen.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: Comedy speaks to me because laughing (or at least grinning) makes tragedy bearable. I'm inspired by all the funny women in NYC.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Clay McLeod Chapman and Mac Rogers

What show have you recommended to your friends?:Buffoon Glass Menajoree

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Anna Faris as Jennifer Harder in "Farting and Crying"
What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Reading the gossip site Perez Hilton.

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: Well, I spend my free time playing trumpet in a marching band. If I had any more free time I'd be playing tennis.
What’s up next?:Bathtub Jen and the Henchmen would like to take our shenanigans to a nightlife venue and set up shop with regular shows.